Coming Out of My Shell
by Mockingjaybird
Summary: When Aria has something to tell her crush,two certain sisters get in the way. Will Aria be able to tell her crush, or will the sisters prevent her from doing so? First RF fanfic, so please review. Upcoming Sequel! Rated T just 2 b safe Using twin's acount
1. Chapter 1

AN- This is my first RF story so I hope you like it! Also I'm using my twin's account. Disclaimer: I don't own Rune Factory. Now on with the story!

_You can do this Aria! Just go up to him and tell him you like him! _

I take a deep breath as I walk outside into the courtyard. Its lunch time at the school my father built and everyone is eating in groups. Sera and Serena shoot glares at me as I walk past. I look down. The twins have always been mean to me as long as I can remember.

Maybe it was because of my shyness? I'm always shy. Especially in front of him. It was a trait I got from my mother. Or maybe it was because the three of us liked the same person.

_Focus Aria! _ I tell myself.

Stopping to scan the area, I easily see whom I'm searching for due to his flowing cape and shoulder length light blond hair. Also, the fact that he's surrounded by other young teens is a good hint too.

As I approach, I can see that Cammy, Roy, Aaron, and Leann are chatting away. I'm about fifteen feet away when Sera and Serena grab me from behind and push me down, grabbing my short red-brown hair while doing so.

"Where do you think your going?" one of them asks. I hadn't expected them to act violently and push me down because we had all liked the same person.

Next thing I know, I'm on the dirt ground that's littered with cherry blossoms, my hands and knees sore and scratched from the hard fall.

I must have yelled when they had pushed me because my crush comes over, appalled, and asks: "Sera, Serena what are you doing?"

The twins blush and try to lie about the situation but to no avail. They glare at me one last time before running off, embarrassed.

I hear someone come up behind me as I try to hide my tears. "Are you okay? Can you stand?" the person asks in a kind, gentle voice. I wipe away my tears quick enough before seeing my crush standing before me, kneeling down with his hand extended, a concerned look on his face.

"O-Orland…" I whisper as I take his hand.

_So much for telling him…_ I think.

"We will be right back everyone." Orland says as he takes my hand and leads me to the pond near the school. As soon as we are there, Orland murmurs, "I'm surprised that the twins did that to you…" He stares at the small pond in thought.

I realize that he's still holding my hand. Suddenly, he turns and faces me giving me one of his hidden smiles. "Or-Orland there's….something I wanted to tell you…" I trail off. He gives me his full attention; his elf ears perk up and his sky blue eyes sparkle with curiosity.

"Yes?"

"I've….wanted to….tell you t-this for…. Some time," I stammer. "I…I like you, Orland!"

Orland's eyes widen and a blush form on his pale cheeks. He recovers quickly by clearing his throat.

"There's something I wanted to tell you as well." He looks at me seriously, his beautiful smile gone. "I like you too."

I blush a crimson red color, the same shade as my mother's eyes. Before I know it I'm wrapped in his arms. I hug him back. Orland pulls back to look at me. He smiles his beautiful again.

"I was too afraid to tell you before," I confess, somehow gaining confidence. "With the twins harassing me and all."

"I could never find you to tell you," he says.

"Yeah, that's because I was hiding most of the time," I tell him.

The bell rings for the last few classes of the day, and Orland tells me to wait here at the end of school. I agree and dash off to class, feeling happier than I've ever felt in my life. When I enter the classroom, Leann and Cammy come over, not even trying to conceal their excitement.

"Oh my gosh, Aria! You did it! I'm so happy for you!" Leann squeals, getting a few looks from around the room.

"Don't look now, but the twins are coming over," Cammy warns.

"You stole Orland from us!" Sera hisses. "And we were going to ask him to the Flower Festival today!"

It the mention of the Flower Festival, I remember that's tomorrow night. I wonder if that's why Orland wanted me to meet him later. Before I can say anything back, Mana, our teacher, resumes class. The twins, Cammy, and Leann sneak to their seats, leaving me to wonder, what is Orland going to tell me?

AN-I hope you all liked it! Sorry if it seems a little weird, it's my first time! So I was thinking of writing different chapters for it! And sorry I left you on a cliffhanger! Review Please! Btw, if you haven't figured it out yet, Dorothy's her mom.

-Mockingjaybird's twin


	2. Chapter 2

**AN-Okay so here's chapter 2 of Coming Out of My Shell! Disclaimer: I do not own Rune Factory! My sister is going to take over this story now! I realized that Orland is nice towards Aria so I suppose he's a little OC…Oh well!**

Chapter 2:

The rest of the day goes is uneventful, except for the constant stares from the twins. Once school ends, I walk with a fast pace out of class. As soon as the cool air of spring hits me, I look over at the pond; Orland's waiting for me. I race over and smile. He shyly smiles back. "So…I-I wanted to ask you to the Flower Festival…" Orland says.

I beam. "Yes! I mean y-yes."

"Really? Great!" he says. "So meet you tomorrow at 4pm here?" I nod.

"So…I guess I'll see you around then," he concludes and with a wave heads off towards his home. I giddily make my way to my own house.

Passing my family's field full of flowers and crops, I skip my way inside, finding my mother and brother in the kitchen. "Hey, Aria how's your boyfriend?" Aaron teases. I blush madly before answering, "He's not my boyfriend. And for your information, he invited me to the Flower Festival tomorrow."

My mom smiles and says shyly, "That's great, darling. What will you wear?"

Shoot, hadn't thought about that…

"Um, I'll figure it out, Mom," I say thinking to make a quick stop to Cammy or Leann's house. She nods and continues the conversation she and Aaron had earlier. I sneak my way back out of the house and run over to Leann's house. The sky becomes clouded with gray and I hope that it doesn't affect the festival tomorrow.

Amidst my thinking, I skid to a stop when Sera and Serena come into view.

"Hey…Aria," Sera sneers.

"We heard he asked you," Serena says.

"And not us," Sera finishes the sentence. They take steps toward me. "I didn't mean any harm!" I shout before thinking.

They corner me and pull my hair and punch me. I try and fight back, but it's hard when there are two of them. The attack doesn't go on for long, because they hear something and run off. I'm laying on the ground, tears down my face. The damage hurts and I'm dizzy. Everything hurts, and I'm about ready to black out. Footsteps approach me and I close my eyes and everything goes dark.

**AN- Hey sorry I haven't updated in a while! So who do you think is coming to her rescue? Sorry about making the twins mean if you like them. It took me FOREVER to write this. Sorry it's so short, I'll try and make the next chapter longer! Alright please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN- First I'd like to thank ****Kurayami Angel for all her support. So here's Ch.3 of Out of My Shell! As I was writing my previous chapter, I decided how this would go…So hope you enjoy it! Disclaimer: I do not own RF!**

Chapter 3:

I wake up in a bed with white sheets and white walls.

The infirmary.

"Hey, Doc, I think she's awake."

My parents, Aaron, Leann, Cammy, Doctor Ray and Orland all crowd the bed.

I sit up suddenly and pain courses through my body.

"Take it easy, Aria," Ray tells me, helping me lay back down. My father, Kyle, says, "I came back from Pandova Mountains as soon as I heard."

"W-what happened?" I ask no one in particular. Leann speaks up. "Orland saved you!"

I stare at him and he blushes and turns his head away.

"How long have I been out?" I ask.

"A few hours," Ray answers and a flash of light shows from outside.

"Does that mean…the Flower Festival will be canceled?" I ask, changing to the subject and referring to the storm outside.

"Yes, the Mayor decided to cancel it this year because of the weather," Dad explains.

"Oh," is the only sound that comes out of my mouth.

Silence enters the room as another streak of lightning flashes and a thunderous boom occurs. "Well, I think it's best for Aria to get some rest and for you all to go home before they close down the roads," Ray instructs.

Everyone shuffles out and says their goodbyes. Orland's the last to leave until I call him back. He freezes and turns around to face me. "How'd you save me?" I ask him.

**~Flashback~**

The footsteps came closer as rain began to fall steadily. A figure knelt down next to Aria's limp body and gently pushed her wet hair from her face. He had seen what happened and would not tell anyone else. He looked around before scooping her up in his arms, placing his white cloak on her. She was extremely light. He realized her friend's house was nearby; it was faster than taking her to the clinic.

He pounded on the door to the De Sainte-Coquille's mansion hoping that her friend, Leann, would open the door instead of her parents. To his luck, she did. She gasped at the sight of her fallen friend and asked what happened. He told her he'd tell her on the way; what really happened. She understood and the two raced their way to the clinic. Ray called Aria's family immediately and told them that Aria had come back from fighting some monsters and was heavily wounded.

But that was a lie. Only three people really knew what had happened. And it would stay that way.

**~End of Flashback~**

Another flash and boom appear as I say, "Oh." And he looks down.

"Thank you," I say a moment later, regaining the will to speak.

He looks up and walks over to the bed and says, "I couldn't leave you there."

He gently touches one of the bruises on my cheek and I blush.

"Orland," I say. "I…love you."

This is his turn to blush and he leans in closer. I can smell the rain and scent of flowers on him. "I love you, too," he declares and his lips collide with mine. My eyes widen before I realize this is what I want. The kiss is sweet and gentle before deepening until I pull away. My first kiss.

"Wow," I whisper. But then I realize something. "Guess the festival's not going to happen, huh? And the twins…"

"Tell you what, Aria. As soon as you get out of here, we can have our own Flower Festival, okay?" Orland proposes.

I smile at this. "Okay!" I exclaim.

"Great!" The storm continues and Orland says, "I guess I'd better get going… I don't want any trouble with the storm…or my dad."

I nod slightly, not wanting him to leave. But I think better of it. "So does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?" I smirk.

He walks over and kisses me on my forehead. He then moves over to the exit before saying,

"Yes."

**AN-I liked writing this chapter! And don't worry; they'll get to have their own festival! Okay, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN-It's too bad this story will have to come to an end eventually, but hey, for now its chapter 4! Disclaimer: I do not own RF!**

Chapter 4:

It's a week later when I'm finally released from the clinic with only a few bruises left and my heart fluttering. I'm still a bit freaked out about how I saw to pairs of eyes from the doorway one night. But today the weather has cleared up, the skies clear and a rainbow shows, but it's still a bit cold after a full week of rain.

Ray instructed that I take it easy for a few days upon my release, warning not to go into any dungeons, do any farm work, or stress myself a lot. I can still go into town and visit my friends though.

Convincing Dad to let me though, is a bit tough.

"Daaaaad, please! I won't go anywhere near the dungeons!" I plead.

"No! I don't want you to stress yourself," he says. This is only an hour after I've been released.

"But I won't! All I'll do is visit Leann, Cammy, and Orland! And they'll look out for me!"

"K-Kyle…" Mom says quietly.

"Yes, Dorothy?" he answers.

"I-I think it would b-be good for her. I m-mean being cooped up in the clinic f-for so long and all," she tells him.

"I-but-Fine," he says, giving in and plopping down in a living room chair.

"Thanks Dad, Mom!" I exclaim, giving them both a quick peck on the cheek before heading out the door, snatching a tan jacket from the hook by the door.

The first thing I do is breathe in the fresh crisp air that surrounds my home. I then stroll to Leann's house and knock on the door. She greets me with a hug and we chat about everything that's happened. Turns out that the twins were sorry about the whole thing and told their parents and mine. Serves them right.

After an hour of chatting with her, I leave and go to the cherry tree near school. I sit on the ground underneath the cherry blossoms and stretch out my legs. "So I see your enjoying the day too, huh?" a familiar voice says from behind. I turn my head around and Orland's standing there holding something behind him. "Orland!" I shout getting up and hugging him. He drops a basket and returns my hug.

"Nice to see you too," he laughs. 

We stay like this for a few minutes until he speaks. "Hey, so remember when I told you that we'd have our own Flower Festival?" he asks, getting something out of the basket and holding it behind his back.

"Yeah? I remember."

"Tada!" He holds out a necklace with a light pink flower charm in the middle. I look closer and notice it's a cherry blossom charm.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" I exclaim hugging him once more.

"Help me, will you?" I ask, turning around so he can put the necklace on me.

"Um, sure," he says hesitantly putting the front of the necklace in front of me. He clasps the necklace shut and I turn around, planting a kiss on his lips.

"Wait," he says, breaking the kiss and rushing to the basket and pulling something out of it- a blanket and some food. I'm stunned. "Y-you're amazing!" I tell him.

We sit and have a nice lunch talking about everything I've missed over the past week. "This was great!" I say after we're done. "Yep!"

The sun begins to set and it's time to depart. "Thank you…" I say, kissing him on the cheek. He smiles and picks up his things and with a wave heads off toward his house.

I sigh deeply and touch the necklace, thinking of what's happened. I was asked to the Flower Festival, it got canceled; I got in a fight, I come out with a boyfriend; we had our own Festival, and everything is perfect.

I have finally come out of my shell.

And I love it.

**AN-'Sob' its over! Did you guys like it? But hey, don't be sad, I'm writing a SEQUEL! It'll probably be called something like: Coming Out of My Shell: The Sequel, or something like that. So truly, it's not over! Yay! Alright, please review. And check out the upcoming sequel! I should have the first chapter up by today or tomorrow! **


End file.
